Golf accessory

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a golf ball support and height adjustment device having at least one non-linear portion. Embodiments can include a divot repair tool, a bottle opener/tab can pry and can include a tapered end that can be used as a golf club groove cleaner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the game of golf. Many items can be used by agolfer, such as for example, tees, ball markers, ball mark (divot)repair tools and items for cleaning the grooves located in the frontalsurface of a golf club head. These items are typically held either inthe pockets of the golfer or in a golf bag. The insertion and removal ofthese items can cause damage to a golfer's clothes and can be cumbersometo access.

Many devices have been devised in an attempt to facilitate the use andaccess to golf accessories. Some of these devices are golf related toolsconnected to a housing device by either pivotable orextending/retracting means, such as those of U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,173 toMiller et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,824 to Reimers; U.S. Pat. No.6,620,062 to Taylor et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,800,042 to Braithwaite; U.S.Pat. No. 6,220,973 to Hsu; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,837,807 to Kerr. Otherdevices include a fixed divot repair tool of a forked design such asU.S. Pat. No. 4,151,937 to Jarosh et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,239 toWait. Other designs are holder and tool combinations such as in U.S.Pat. No. 6,872,155 to Jacome. Devices have also been developed to enablethe height adjustment of a golf tee, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,977 toYoung et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,811,499 to Hsien and D492,374 to Barouh.

The discussion of issued patents does not mean that the inventions orfeatures contained therein are in the general body of public knowledge.

The applicant believes that the present invention possesses distinctionsover what is known in the art and possesses advantages over what haspreviously been available.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a golf accessory apparatus that caninclude an assortment of various golf related tools.

The present invention provides, in one embodiment, a golf ball or teesupport height adjustment apparatus having at least one non-linearportion. The apparatus can also be a divot repair tool. The divot repairtool can also serve as a golf club groove cleaner. The apparatus canalso include a ball marker. The apparatus can further include a bottleopener/tab can pry tool.

The invention can further include a cover that at least a portion of theapparatus can be inserted into. The cover can provide a degree ofprotection from any sharp end or surface of the apparatus and canfacilitate the carrying of the apparatus by a golfer in a pocket orother holder. The cover can allow the golfer to insert and/or remove theapparatus from a pocket without the potential for damage from any sharpend or surface of the apparatus. Desirably the cover includes anattachment means to facilitate its carrying. The attachment means cancomprise a cord or other type handle or alternatively can comprise aclip type mechanism such as for attaching to a belt or golf bag.

The present invention provides, in another embodiment of the presentinvention, the combination of a golf ball support and a divot repairtool that can also serve as a golf ball height adjustment tool. Thedevice can include one or more ball marker(s). The golf ball support caninclude a non-linear portion

The device can further include a bottle opener/tab can pry and caninclude a golf club groove cleaner. The device can include a cover, thecover can include a means for attachment and its exterior surface canprovide space for advertising. Means for attachment can include a cord,strap, clip apparatus or a handle apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view according one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 1A is a frontal view of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1B is a side view of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows views of one embodiment of the invention located within acover.

FIG. 4 shows one embodiment of the invention wherein a golf tee islocated within the golf tool device.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein the golf tooldevice is located within a protective cover.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention will be described by way of examples with reference toFIGS. 1-5 which are not to be construed as a limitation upon theapparatus elements of the invention. The present invention is directedto a golf accessory device that can function as a golf ball or golf teesupport. In some embodiments the invention can also function as a divotrepair tool. Embodiments of the present invention can be used as a ballor tee height adjustment apparatus and can facilitate other functionssuch as for example, ball marking, bottle/can opening and golf clubcleaning.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is provided an embodiment of a golftool 100 consisting of a first section 102 having a ball platform 104that can be used as a golf ball support or as a tee support. The ballplatform 104 can be of a flat or curved design that would facilitate thesupport of a golf ball. A concave curvature that would act to somewhatcradle a golf ball can be utilized. The contact area of the ballplatform 104 with a golf ball can range from the entire upper surfacearea of the ball platform 104 to a minimal number of contact points,such as three, that can protrude from the upper surface of the ballplatform 104. The first section 102 of the tool can also have a bottleopener/tab can pry 106 feature.

A second section 110 can have a non-linear design, which can be used asa tee height adjustment device 112. The non-linear design creates anopening having an axis 114 through the tool 100 in which a golf tee canbe inserted. In one embodiment the second section 110 can have one ormore non-linear sections.

A third section 120 can be of a linear design to facilitate insertion ofat least a portion of the third section 120 into the golf turf, sand orother ground surface. The third section 120 can have threads or otherprotrusions 122 that can be used for divot repair and can have atapered, sloped or pointed end 124 that can be used as a golf clubgroove cleaner.

The bottle opener/tab can pry 106 feature can be of any design havingthe ability to facilitate the removal of a bottle cap from a bottle orto engage the tab or other opening feature of a container, such as thoseused for beverages typically made of aluminum. In one embodimentillustrated in FIG. 1 this feature can include a protrusion that can beutilized along with another surface of the tool, such as the undersideof the ball platform 104 such that the protrusion can be engaged andleveraged in a prying type action to remove the bottle cap. Theprotrusion can also be engaged with the tab opening of a container tofacilitate its movement which leads to opening of the container.

The non-linear section 110 can serve to dissipate the force imparted bythe golf club impacting the golf ball and transmitted to the golf toolduring its swing. The non-linear portion can have various designs thatcan be spiral, coiled, triangular or other circuitous shapes, allreferred to herein as spiral. The number of spirals can vary dependingof the materials of construction and the particular characteristics thatare desired. In one embodiment the number of spirals can vary from oneto ten. In one embodiment the desirable number of spirals can range fromthree to seven. In another embodiment the number of spirals can rangefrom five to seven. In some embodiments the spirals can be concentricand in other embodiments the spirals can be non-concentric.Non-concentric embodiments can include, but are not limited to,embodiments having tapered spirals that are smaller in diameter thefurther away from the first section 102. The tapered spirals canfacilitate the insertion of the golf tool 100 into the ground and assistwith the adjustment of the height of the ball platform 104.

The golf tool 100 can be constructed of a variety of materials.Embodiments can be made of wood, plastic, metal or other materials orcomposites of more than one material. A desirable embodiment can beconstructed of a plastic material that can have toughness to withstandthe forces imposed by contact with the golf club and which can alsoimpart a degree of flexibility to the tool. Plastics such as, but notlimited to, various grades of polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate,polypropylene and polystyrene can be used. Embodiments can also beconstructed from certain metals or metal alloys, the embodiments madefrom metals can be coated by a second material such as plastics orrubber materials, for example, neoprene.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a top view of the first section 102 shows theball platform 104 and the bottle opener 106 along with a contact base108.

Referring to FIG. 3, in one embodiment of the invention, the golf tool100 is housed in a protective cover 200, which can comprise one or moreball marking rings 202, and if desired an opening 204 that a groovecleaner can extend through. The opening 204 can also function as a meansto drain any moisture that may collect within the protective cover. Theprotective cover 200 can be made of rigid or elastic material and caninclude a threaded interior surface which can facilitate the insertionof the spiral form of the golf tool second section 110. The ball markingrings 202 can be removed from the cover 200 and utilized by the golferto mark a golf ball location. The tapered end of the golf tool 124 canprotrude through the opening 204 at the bottom of the cover tofacilitate the cleaning of the grooves of a golf club. The cover 200 canalso comprise an attachment means (not shown) such as a cord attached tothe cover, a handle or a clip device or other attachment means tofacilitate the attachment to a belt or a golf bag or other article.

FIG. 4 illustrates how a golf tee 210 can be inserted into the verticalaxis 114 within the spirals of the golf tool second section 110. Thegolf tool 100 can be used as a height adjustment device to vary theheight of the golf tee 210 and thereby the height of the golf balllocated on the tee to a desirable level for the golfer.

FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of the invention wherein the golf tool100 is inserted within a storage container 300 having a container 302and a lid 304. The container 302 can be made of any material such asplastic, wood or metal. The container exterior surface can be painted,have labels applied or utilized for advertising space. The container 302can be of any shape and size to facilitate the storage of the golf tool100. The container is desirably a tubular or cylindrical shape that canbe sealed on one end and accessible for insertion and removal of thegolf tool 100 at the opposing end. Attachment means can also be usedwith the container 300 for attachment to a person or article such as agolf bag.

Within the present application the terms “comprise”, “comprising” and“comprises” shall have a non-exclusive meaning and that if an embodimentis said to comprise a certain feature the embodiment will have thatfeature but is not restricted in any way as to other features theembodiment may have.

The preceding description of specific embodiments of the presentinvention is not intended to be a complete list of every possibleembodiment of the invention. Persons skilled in this field willrecognize that modifications can be made to the specific embodimentsdescribed herein that would still be within the scope if the presentinvention.

1. A golf accessory apparatus comprising: a golf ball support and heightadjustment device having at least one non-linear portion.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the ball support further comprises a divotrepair tool.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, which further comprises abottle opener/tab can pry.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising a golf tee support.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thenon-linear portion comprises at least one spiral.
 6. The apparatus ofclaim 5, wherein the non-linear portion comprises at least oneconcentric spirals.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the non-linearportion comprises at least one tapered spirals.
 8. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising a cover.
 9. The apparatus of claim 5,wherein the cover further comprises one or more ball markers.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 5, wherein at least a portion of the tee support anddivot repair tool are housed within the cover.
 11. The apparatus ofclaim 5, wherein the cover comprises an attachment means.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising a storage container.
 13. Incombination, a golf ball support having at least one non-linear portionand a divot repair tool that can also be a golf ball height adjustmenttool.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a ball marker.15. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a bottle opener/tabcan pry.
 16. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a golf clubgroove cleaner.
 17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the tool is atleast partially housed within a holder.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17,wherein the holder comprises an attachment means.
 19. The apparatus ofclaim 18, wherein the attachment means comprises a clip for attachmentto a belt or bag.
 20. A golf accessory apparatus comprising: a golf ballsupport and height adjustment device having at lease one non-linearportion of at least one spiral; a divot repair tool; a bottle opener/tabcan pry; and a cover capable of retaining one or more ball markers.